Rescue You
by PuckleberryShipper326
Summary: Throughout their lives, Rachel was always picking Puck up and dusting him off, figuratively and literally. Will he be there for her when she needs him most? Drabbles at different ages. Based off of the song "Rescue You" by Jake Epstein. T for safety.


**_Okay so this came to me today when I was listening to a song. It's pretty self explanatory but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Be sure to check out my other stories :) Enjoy!_**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>At the age of five, Noah Puckerman was excited to go to Kindergarten. His mom, Rebekah, had bought him a new Spiderman backpack and a t-shirt that said "_Jewish and Proud_" with the Star of David in the background. His dad, Elijah, had taught him how to throw and catch a football over the summer, and little Noah was ready to find some friends to play with him. The only friend he had was Rachel Berry, a pretty girl with soft brown hair that went to his temple. She had two dads, which he thought was really weird, but his mom simply said that Rachel's daddies loved each other like his Ma and Pa did, so Noah let it go. He was waiting on his front steps for Mr. and Mr. Berry to come pick him up. Rebekah was a nurse at Lima General Hospital and had to work a double shift to cover her friend Nancy, who was at a funeral in Michigan. Elijah was a janitor at the YMCA, meaning he had to treat the pools and make sure the exercise equipment was all clean, and had left after giving Noah his breakfast.

The van Noah had learned belonged to the Berry's finally pulled up and the young boy skipped to it, quickly climbing in and sitting next to Rachel.

"Hi Rachel," he greeted cheerfully.

"Hello Noah," she reciprocated with a smile on her face.

The drive was short and soon the two Jewish children were standing in front of George Washington Elementary School. They walked to the door, hand in hand, and were led by some older students to their class. There were a lot of different kids roaming around the room. Two girls holding pinkies and a tall boy caught Rachel's attention and she pulled Noah over to them.

"Hi, I'm Rachel and this is Noah," she said with a smile. "What are your names?"

"I'm Santana," the Latino girl replied. "This is Brittany." The small blonde smiled and waved.

"I'm Finn," the boy said, smiling shyly at Rachel. His eyes latched onto Noah's backpack. "Oh, you like Spiderman?"

"Yeah," Noah nodded. "I read Spiderman comic books all the time."

"Me, too. I have one in my bag if you want to read with me," Finn suggested.

"Cool," Noah commented, following Finn to the closet.

"Hey butt heads," a voice said behind them. Finn and Noah turned around to see a large brown-haired boy standing next to a dark-skinned boy.

Finn, innocent that he was, stretched his hand out to the boys. "Hi, I'm Finn."

"I'm David and this is Azimio," he motioned to himself and then the boy beside him. He looked at the comic book in their hands and then Noah's backpack and scoffed. "Spiderman? Spiderman stinks. Superman is so much better."

"Nuh uh," Noah argued. "Spiderman is awesome. Superman is just some dork in a cape."

David pushed Noah to the ground. "Never insult Superman," he threatened.

"Hey!" a shrill voice spoke. "Leave him alone!" Rachel came storming over and stood in front of David. "What do you think you are doing?"

"You're cute," David said, smiling at Rachel. He went to go touch her but she slapped his hand away.

"And you are a pig," she snapped. "Now go away. I know karate." David and Azimio walked away, the latter teasing the former. Rachel went over and helped Noah up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Noah confirmed, dusting himself off. "Thanks Rachel." He hugged the small girl, who smiled and hugged him back.

"Any time Noah," she promised.

* * *

><p>Noah Puckerman was eleven when his father abandoned him. His mother had just given birth to his little sister Sarah and Elijah didn't think she was his child. Noah went to school that day, excited to play with his best friends Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson and tell them all about his baby sister. After Leroy and Hiram Berry dropped Noah off at his home, the eleven year old boy walked through his door to find his mother on the couch staring at the wall, holding a crying Sarah.<p>

"Ma?" Noah asked, coming over and taking Sarah from his catatonic mother's arms. "Ma, what's wrong?" Rebekah Puckerman looked at her son and began to weep. She then explained how Elijah had packed his bags and left after she had gone to work. The only signs of his departure were his belongings missing and a note saying he was leaving and never coming back. It said how he wasn't going to be trapped with another kid that he wasn't sure was his. Noah looked down at Sarah who was crying furiously. He gently rocked her until she was calm then set her in her play pen in the living room. Taking a deep breath, he walked over and sat next to his mother. "We don't need him Ma. I can help with Sarah and I know how to clean pools. There are loads of families at the temple that have pools and I'm sure they'll hire me. We'll get through this, Ma. I know we will."

Tears that had been pooling in Rebekah's eyes during her son's speech finally overcame her. "Oh, Noah." He pulled her into a hug and let her cry in his arms. From that moment on, Noah Puckerman promised himself that he would never be like his father. He would be there for his mother and sister above everyone.

He wanted nothing to do with his dead beat dad. Underneath the bathroom sink, Noah found a set of hair clippers. He looked in the mirror, glaring at the hairdo that was identical to his father's. He swiped the clippers through his dark curls until there was only a single strip down the middle, short enough that you wouldn't know his hair was curly. Then there was the problem with his name, the name that just so happened to be his father's middle name. The next day when he went to school, he asked his teacher if she would call him Puck from now on.

Puck was sitting at the edge of the park during recess by himself with his head in his hands, trying so hard to keep it together. He hadn't cried once since finding out his dead left. It wasn't an option for him; his mother needed him to be strong right now, even though she never asked him to be. Feeling someone sit beside him, Puck looked up and saw Rachel looking remorsefully at him.

"My dads told me what happened," she stated. Her hand found its way to his and surprisingly, he took it. "I'm so sorry Noah-"

"Don't call me that," he demanded, throwing her hand away.

Her hand slowly inched itself back into his. "I'm sorry. I'll call you Puck if you really want me to."

Puck sighed. "Thanks Rach." They sat like this until the teacher called their class back in. The two children stood up and brushed themselves off. As Puck was about to walk away, he felt Rachel's hand weave back with his.

"I'm here for you Puck, when you do decide to be Noah again," she whispered, squeezing his hand. Puck simply nodded and walked with the small brunette back into class.

That night, Rachel and her dads showed up at the Puckerman home with a classic Jewish meal. The two mismatched families ate, enjoying casual conversation until Rebekah sent Puck and Rachel up to his room. While the three adults discussed the situation Rebekah was now faced with, Puck and Rachel listened to soft music and talked.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel asked, lying beside Puck.

He sighed, still looking up at his ceiling. He didn't want to cry. He wanted to be the toughest seven year old in the world, but something about knowing Rachel was there made him feel so vulnerable. Tears slowly began to form in his eyes and before he knew it, he was crying into Rachel's shoulder. The girl held him close, rubbing her hand over his head and in soothing circles on his back.

"It's okay, I'm here. Just let it all out," she whispered.

"It's just so hard Rachel," he cried. "I always looked up to him and then he just abandoned me. He left my mom when she needed him most and now I don't know what we're going to do. I want to be strong for Ma, but it's just so hard."

Rachel pulled him away and held his face in her hands, ensuring he was looking directly at her. "I am so proud of you, you know that?" A confused expression came across his face. "Yeah, I am. You are facing a really difficult situation at such a young age and you are being so strong, not for yourself, but for your family. Noah," he stiffened slightly, but didn't correct her, "I have known you for so long and I've seen you grow, not just physically, but as a person. Don't let this stop you from becoming the amazing person I know you are capable of being."

Puck stared at her for a few moments. Rachel has always spoken like an adult and it sometimes made it hard for him to follow what she was saying. But he got the message. She believed in him and felt he was worth more than he did. Before he knew what he was doing, Puck had pressed his lips to hers. The second he realized what was happening, he went to pull away, but was stopped when he felt Rachel kissing him back. They soon separated, each smiling softly.

"Thanks Rachel," he whispered, laying his head back onto her chest.

"Any time Noah," she whispered back, soothing his back again.

* * *

><p>When they first walked through the doors of William McKinley High School, Rachel and Puck found that their friendship defied the rules of high school. They drifted apart, Puck always having football practice and parties Rachel was never invited to. Rachel tried to hide the pain, putting up this new image of a star in the making. The truth was that Puck was always the one that had called her that and she never used to believe him. But she needed something to maintain so she didn't break down every time she saw her former best friend.<p>

Freshman year was miserable. Not only did she have no friends, but the football team and Cheerios decided she was the new social pariah. She was slushied practically daily and teased with derogatory doodles of herself in the bathrooms and horrid nicknames that picked at her in every way. The worst feeling in the world, however, was when her former best friend tossed a slushy in her face and called her a freak. She spent the rest of the day hiding in the bathroom, cleaning her clothes and hair and crying. If only she had known that the Mohawked boy had been told by his teammates that if he didn't do it, they'd make being on the football team a living hell.

Her sophomore year was a little better. Mr. Shuester, the Spanish teacher, decided to resuscitate the old glee club and Rachel was quick to join. It had a very rocky beginning until her old friend Finn joined. Rachel developed a little crush on Finn, something she blamed on her lack of attention from one particular boy. However, Finn had a girlfriend, who soon joined, dragging along her two other Cheerio friends. Almost immediately after, Puck and two of his football friends joined, and it felt like Rachel's heart was breaking all over again.

It was nearly impossible for her to concentrate on anything but him when they were in the same room. He had definitely changed since they walked together that very first day. He still sported his iconic Mohawk and went by Puck, but his body had developed significantly. Noah Puckerman had become a man, but not the man she had envisioned he'd become all those years ago. Rachel tried to make him jealous by clinging to Finn in an almost stalkerish fashion, but that only made Finn's girlfriend Quinn hate her more.

Rachel's plan to make Puck jealous crashed and burned when it was discovered that Quinn was pregnant with Finn's baby. Or at least she claimed the child was Finn's. Rachel had always prided herself on her attentiveness and noticed the way Puck looked at Quinn. She didn't have to ask. She secretly knew that the unborn child was Puck's.

When Puck came into school one day and asked her to help him with a glee assignment, Rachel tried to still her fluttering heart. She agreed and somehow the practicing turned into making out. As much as she was enjoying being in Puck's arms again, she stopped him, making up some excuse when the truth was that she couldn't do that to her heart again. That plan is also thrown out the window when Puck sang "_Sweet Caroline_", their song from their childhood, to her in glee. Rachel agreed to date him and they walk down the halls arm in arm.

While walking, Rachel noticed Karofsky quickly approaching with a Big Gulp in his hand. Before she can act, the giant football player tossed the slushy in Puck's face. Rachel gasped, guilt throbbing through her core. She quickly pulled him into the closest bathroom and started to clean him off. Her heart pounded when he took off his plaid button up shirt to reveal a plain white undershirt that clung to his body. They talked about random things that didn't matter, but Rachel smiled when he promised never to slushy her again. She finally finished and handed him his shirt while he pulled her into his lap.

"Thanks Rachel," he stated, smiling softly.

"Any time Noah," she replied, trying to hide her true emotions.

* * *

><p>Their relationship was fleeting and ended with Rachel alone and close to tears on the risers. Puck thought she was ending it because she was in love with Finn, but she really did it because despite their wonderful time together, he still loved Quinn. Rachel couldn't handle being a second choice, not again. Time passed slowly, and before she knew it, Sectionals was upon them. Right before Sectionals, Rachel accidentally let it slip to Finn that Puck was actually the father and he quit glee. Luckily, he swept in to save the day when their competition sang their songs. They won Sectionals and went on with their eyes set on Regionals. However, when they returned to McKinley, the news about the real baby daddy had spread around and Puck was in social exile.<p>

Rachel was roaming the halls after school when she heart music coming from the auditorium. She quietly opened the door and walked in, staying in the back to remain hidden. On stage was Puck, strumming his guitar and humming a tune Rachel couldn't pinpoint. The music suddenly stopped and Puck crouched over his guitar, his head in his hands.

His head snapped up when he heard footsteps approaching. He saw a familiar brunette coming towards him and while his head was filled with rage, his heart was filled with relief. Even though they haven't been close since before freshman year, Puck still remembers all the times he'd felt better just by Rachel being there with him. He watched as she climbed on stage and sat beside him on the edge, straightening out her incredibly short skirt and laying her hands in her lap.

"I'm so sorry," she finally admitted after an awkward pause. "Not only for telling Finn, but for how everyone has been treating you lately. I know you did what you did because Quinn wanted it that way. She probably thought Finn would be the better father, but I know that's not true."

"You do?" Puck asked, looking up at her.

"You forget that I've known you since we were babies. I've seen all the things you've gotten through. When your father left, you promised yourself that you'd never be him. This is your chance to keep that promise to yourself."

"Quinn wants to give up the baby," he whispered, his eyes back on the back of the auditorium. As much as he didn't want to be sharing these secrets with Rachel, he still felt that trust for her that he did when they were friends.

"And what do you want?" she questioned. He looked up at her again.

"It doesn't matter what I want. If Quinn doesn't want Drizzle-"

"That doesn't mean you can't keep her," Rachel told him. "If you really want to keep her, you can. You have as many rights to the baby as Quinn does."

"I want what's best for all of us," he stated. "As much as I want to be there for my baby, I know she would be better off with a family who can take care of her. I just don't want her to go through life wondering why her birth parents didn't want her."

"What about an open adoption?" she asked. Puck looked at her confused, obviously not knowing what that was. "An open adoption is when you and the adoptive parents come to an agreement. You can arrange to still be able to see her and get pictures on birthdays and holidays and such."

"So, even if she's being adopted, I can still be in her life?" Rachel smiled nodding. "I'll talk to Quinn about it. Thanks Rachel," he said, jumping from the stage and running out of the auditorium.

"Any time Noah," she replied as the door to the auditorium shut behind him.

* * *

><p>They should have known Jesse St. James was bad news the minute they saw him. Puck certainly did, but he was too blinded by Rachel's happiness to do anything about it. Puck and Rachel had fixed their old friendship when she arranged for her attorney father to help Puck set up an open adoption contract for when he and Quinn found adoptive parents. Quinn had decided she wanted nothing to do with her daughter, but that didn't stop Puck from pursuing any chance to be in the baby's life. The newly formed best friends hung out almost every day after school and that's how Puck first learned of Jesse. The two powerhouse singers had met <em>coincidentally<em> and begun a relationship that resulted in the former Carmel student and Vocal Adrenaline lead to transfer to McKinley. It was rumored that they had a sexual relationship as well, something Finn had passed on to Puck but that Rachel refused to talk about.

After Rachel found out that the coach of Vocal Adrenaline was her mother and was denied a normal mother-daughter relationship, Rachel was crushed, but hid it in order to keep her focus on Regionals. Mere weeks before the competition, Jesse showed up in the McKinley auditorium and performed a number with Vocal Adrenaline, just before dumping Rachel and quitting New Directions. As if that wasn't bad enough, a few days later, Rachel received a text from Jesse, asking her to meet him in the parking lot. Always the one to expect the best out of everyone, Rachel went running, only to be egged and humiliated by Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline. She recounted the tale to New Directions the next day and all the guys jumped to defend her honor, only to be told to sit down by Mr. Shuester.

Regionals were a disaster. While their performance was spectacular, directly after leaving the stage, Quinn's water broke and everyone but Rachel rushed her to the hospital. Rachel watched Vocal Adrenaline blow the audience, the judges, and herself away. Baby Beth was born sometime during the performance, Rachel replying a quick '_Congratulations_' when Puck texted the news. While Quinn and Puck remained at the hospital, the rest of the New Directions waited on stage, only to be told they didn't even place. Vocal Adrenaline, with a cocky Jesse St. James at the lead, walked away with the first place trophy. Later that evening, Puck reported that Rachel's mother, after having rejected another offer of a relationship, had adopted Beth.

To everyone else, it seemed Rachel was taking all of this incredibly well. But to Puck, he knew she was dying inside. He could see right through her fake smile and heard the lack of emotion in her voice when she spoke and sang. She even gave up a few solos, something that should have tipped everyone else off, but they just brushed it off as her getting tired of being the star. Puck had tried to talk to her numerous times, asking if she was alright and reminding her that he was there if she needed him. She simply nodded and told him she was fine.

It was killing Puck to see Rachel this way, but for reasons he couldn't quite understand himself. When they had become friends again, Puck felt like everything was finally right in the world. Every time they hung out, he'd get this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach when she smiled or laughed. His heart would clench if she was too close or if her fingers accidentally brushed against him. He wouldn't admit it, but that week that they were together before baby-gate was one of the best weeks of his life. Looking back on her words, her calling him out on being in love with Quinn, Puck realized that he wasn't in love with Quinn, but rather the baby that was growing inside her. _His_ baby. He never felt the way he did with Rachel when he was with Quinn. Slowly but surely, Noah Puckerman had fallen in love with Rachel Berry.

That's why when they had glee that afternoon, Puck sat in the front row with his guitar in his lap and a song ready to be sung. The rest of his friends slowly trickled in and took their seats, shooting him confused looks. Mr. Shuester finally arrived, but before he could even finish asking if anyone had a song to sing, Puck's hand was raised.

"I do, Mr. Shue," he announced, standing up and walking to grab a chair, setting it in the middle of the front of the room. The teacher sat at the side, looking on with curiosity clear on his face. Puck looked up and locked eyes with Rachel, smiling softly when her breath caught at his intensity. "Rachel, you've always been there for me, picking me up when I'm down and telling me exactly what I need to hear. Now, it's my turn to be there for you. You've been going through a really tough time and while you won't admit it, I know you too well and refuse to just seat here and pretend along with everyone else. So this is for you."

_I was switched off like a light,_

_A fighter with no fight._

_Staring up at the stars,_

_I'd given into the dark._

_Burned out like a match,_

_At the low end of the crash._

_The moon glowed like a scar._

_How did things go so far?_

_Somehow you saw someone worth saving._

_You pulled me back into the light._

_Now if ever I can rescue you,_

_When you need two arms to fall into,_

_You know exactly where I'll be._

_Just look for me._

_Oh look for me._

_When it seems like you have lost it all,_

_And you feel like you're in free fall,_

_Goin' deep into the blue._

_I will rescue you_

_When every promise turns to dust,_

_And there's no one left to trust._

_When you're punchin at the sky,_

_And you're out of alibis._

_I know how this feels,_

_When the wounds don't want to heal._

_But I won't forget your grace_

_Or the beauty of your face._

_Somehow you saw someone worth saving._

_You pulled me back into the light._

_Now if ever I can rescue you,_

_When you need two arms to fall into,_

_You know exactly where I'll be._

_Just look for me._

_Oh look for me._

_When it seems like you have lost it all,_

_And you feel like you're in free fall,_

_Goin' deep into the blue._

_I will rescue you._

_I fell into that hole before,_

_And I, I walked into that slamming door,_

_And I faded away_

_To where you art in day._

_Now if ever I can rescue you,_

_When you need two arms to fall into,_

_You know exactly where I'll be._

_Just look for me._

_Oh look for me._

_When it seems like you have lost it all,_

_And you feel like you're in free fall,_

_Goin' deep into the blue._

_I will rescue you._

Rachel was practically sobbing when Puck finished the song. He put his guitar down and walked over to her, taking her hands in his and looking into her eyes. "There's something else I have to tell you." She looked at him patiently. "I'm in love with you." The other girls in the room _aww'ed_, some even crying at this display. In a flash, Rachel was in Puck's arms, kissing him deeply and silently announcing her love for him. When they finally pulled away, they had giant smiles on their faces.

"Thank you Noah."

"Any time Rachel."

* * *

><p><strong><em>I hope you liked it! Please review! Love you all! :)<em>**


End file.
